Tuesday, 21 May 2019
Seward, Alaska, USA
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Quite a few days now of opening the curtains to see dank, dreary weather.
But.
Not today, dear reader.
Not today.
As you will see from the photos below. Gloriously sunny, blue sky day.
A day not to be wasted.
Quickly book a 5hr Resurrection Bay cruise. Boards at 1130hrs. As you may recall. Everything now is on the hoof with nothing planned. Everything is weather dependent. Inshallah.
Board the boat. Has an arrangement with the local National Park Service Rangers that they come on board and give educational talks. One of the things I have really enjoyed about the USA is the National Park Service. It’s an excellent set up and very informative. Have found their Rangers to be extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic and educational. Today’s boat trip is no exception.
The usual safety announcements are followed by the ‘if you feel sea sick, do not go to the toilet, lean over the side’ talk. Though think that’s purely because they don’t want to clean the mess. It’s dead calm in the fjord though. Why on earth would they be talking about sea sickness.
Ho. Ho. Ho.
Sailing out of Seward marina, surrounded by snow capped mountains, sparkling under the brightest bluest sky. Memorable. Two dismal days in Seward is rewarded with this.
Soon find porpoises darting around the bow wave. And if that isn’t enough, a humpback whale is spotted. Its spout gives it away like some aquatic will o’ the wisp. Soon followed by a small breach. The pectal fin and back break through, swiftly followed by the tail fin. It looks quite small until the Park Ranger explains that there’s no sense of scale out on the sea and the fact we’re about 200m away.
Continue sailing out to Resurrection Bay. Lunch is an excellent buffet of fresh poached salmon and rib of beef.
Swell’s up as we exit the fjord and enter Resurrection Bay.
The sort of swell that makes you stagger. In need of a pee after lunch so head to the toilet. Gulp. As soon I’m in the enclosed toilet with no outside view, you feel the swell.
Reminds me of the time I went on a cross channel ferry during a storm with 20ft waves crashing down on the high speed catamaran. Long story short, had to take a 7 year old boy to the toilet. As his Mother couldn’t leave her seat and a view of the horizon (I know you’re reading this and laughing about it now!). It was dreadful. Never felt so sick in all my life. Assumed young lad needed to use the urinals. We’re both slipping and sliding over the wet floors. I’m feeling rough as anything. Then young lad says he needs a pooh. The last thing you need to hear with someone else’s lad. Shove him in a cubicle and tell him to hurry up. I’m struggling to maintain my balance it’s that rough. All I can hear is thud…thud…thud…thud. The sound of a 7 year old being bounced from one side of the cubicle to the other. He’s instructed to sit down quickly and hurry up.
I digress.
Thankful to be back on top deck with fresh air.
Things calm down as we enter a small cove. Which has taken 2hrs to sail to. The purpose of coming all this way.
Killer whales.
They’re all over the place.
An amazing sight as they spout and breach.
The trouble is that it’s very difficult to get a good close up photograph. State Park laws decree that the boats must keep at some distance. You can try and zoom in on a specific area of sea where you think the whales will breach but you have to be lucky to get a good telephoto shot. As you will see from the photos below, it’s the best I could do. Especially as bobbing up and down on a boat.
Then.
We have to cross Resurrection Bay to Rugged Island. The swell gets up. The announcements over the PA keep saying that if you can feel the motion of the ocean then go outside to the deck and go to the back if you want to throw up. But we do have some ginger if you want.
Unsurprisingly, quite a few people have to leave the inside cabin and come out for some fresh air. I’m already on the top deck. Fresh air and horizon watching.
Reminds me of the time I went on a 4hr deep sea fishing trip with Dad in Cornwall as a 14 year old. Bobbing up and down of an evening with quite a swell. Dad, I don’t feel very well. Me neither, son. Keep looking at the horizon. It worked and neither of us were ill. One of many paternal words of wisdom I have taken note of.
Takes about an hour to cross Resurrection Bay and glad when the swell dies down as we approach Rugged Island and follow the cliffs back to Seward. Passing plenty of birds nesting on the cliffs and can smell the sealions as we approach, before we hear them. Puffins darting around speeding Spitfires. It’s a cacophony of sound.
To top it all off…a killer whale gives a stellar display as we near the marina.
An incredible day out on the sea with stunning panoramas. Snow capped mountains, glaciers, fjords, whales and wildlife.
A memorable trip.
Topped off with another amazing dinner at The Cookery.
Further topped off by an amazing sunset on the snow capped mountains.
Seward. You have redeemed yourself.
